Why Waterless Cookware?
Health… Our Most Important Asset by Chef Charles Knight
The answer to better health is exercise and the food we eat. Nutritious, low-fat, low-sodium meals reduce dangerous cholesterol, cut unwanted calories, and retain important minerals, vitamins, and life-giving enzymes. All of our fresh foods have a built-in, natural goodness. But the wonderful, health-giving values you paid dearly for at your grocery store may soon disappear in your kitchen. With old-fashioned conventional cooking methods, fresh vegetables must be peeled, boiled, or steamed, and subjected to the high heat of a microwave, not to mention the use of cooking fats and oils. All of this results in the irreplaceable loss of a large share of the vital minerals, vitamins, and enzymes that we need for better health.
Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is sound advice from the American Cancer Society for cancer proofing your diet. Additionally, most experts recommend cutting down on fats and eating healthy amounts of fiber, the same prescription the American Heart Association recommends reducing the risk of heart disease. Maintaining the natural goodness in your foods is the focus of Cooking for a Longer, Healthier Life.
Health Craft™ waterless, greaseless cookware creates wholesome, great tasting meals, without sacrificing vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Furthermore, the cooking methods you will learn thoroughly capture the wonderful flavors we expect in our meals. It is possible because of this unique cooking method. Foods are cooked at precise temperatures, below the boiling point, in a vapor seal. This Ultra-Seal™ method of waterless cooking with Health Craft™ cookware is the secret that retains vital nutritional values. By eliminating the need for peeling, boiling, steaming and microwaving, vegetables and fruits come to the table with a “garden fresh” taste, and meats are gently browned and cooked in their own natural juices, without the need for high calorie oils and fat. It is a whole new experience in cooking and taste, and a key benefit for better health.
Because food preparation is easy and efficient, waterless cooking with Health Craft™ cookware has become the preferred method of preparing meals for millions of home cooks and professional chefs who are dedicated to better health through healthier cooking techniques. Cooking for a Longer, Healthier Life contains exciting recipes that will bring nature’s goodness to your table every day.
There are two fundamental guidelines that we always include in our cookbooks and recipes listed on this website. First, the recipes must be quick and easy to prepare, with ingredients that are readily available. And second, every recipe must be tasty and healthful.
What are Today’s Cooking Options?
- Aluminum: (Anodized and Non-Anodized): Stains, warps, and dents easily. Chemically reacts with food. Harsh chemicals and scrubbing pads can erode the coating. Metal handles get hot and it is difficult to clean.
- Coated finish: Costly to replace year after year. During the cooking process, the coating chips off and contaminates the food you eat. Overheated, nonstick pans emit harmful VOC’s, a toxic mixture of chemicals that may be harmful to your health.
- Enameled Steel: Chips, cracks, and stains. Food eventually sticks and burns.
- Cast Iron: Heavy, porous, rusts when cleaned with soap and water. When the pan gets hot the metal expands, opening pores that absorb food. When cooled, the food is retained in those pores and released when heated again. Unhealthy.
- Microwaving: Convenient, but extreme heat degrades the quality, taste, and nutritional value of food, causing it to become tough and unappealing in color and texture. Microwaving with plastic containers may leach chemicals into the food, causing a change in the food’s molecular structure. Is this unhealthy cooking convenience worth compromising your health?
What is the Solution?
The Health Craft™ Cooking System. The finest food preparation system in the world. Designed to cook vegetables without high heat, boiling or steaming, while preserving nutrition, taste, and color. Meat, poultry, and fish cook without oil or fat. Here is how it works. It starts with…
5 and 9 Layers of Perfect Ultra-Core Plus™ Design
The luxurious, polished exterior exudes an enduring, easy-care beauty that lasts and lasts. The high-grade surgical stainless-steel interior resists staining is easy to clean, and there is no chemical reaction with the food cooked. The high-impact bonded base is warp resistant, providing superior heat conduction and maximum contact with the cooking surface. No need to use high heat. Medium to Low Heat is all you Need to Know.
Double Thermal Core Construction. A perfect blend of metals and alloys. Heat is quickly distributed from the bottom up, the sides in and across the cover. It is the best heat-conducting pan ever!
5-PLY COOKWARE
- Layer 1: T304s Surgical Stainless Steel (inside) – The most sanitary metal to come in contact with your food. Sunburst finish is easy to clean. No coating to come off in your food. Easy to clean!
- Layer 2: Surgical Stainless Steel (outside) – Mirror finish, long lasting, easy to clean and induction compatible.
- Layers 3 thru 5: Thermal Core – Aluminum alloy, pure aluminum and aluminum alloy spreads heat quickly and evenly throughout pan.
9-PLY COOKWARE
- Layer 1: 316ti Surgical Stainless Steel with Titanium (inside) – The most sanitary metal to come in contact with your food. Sunburst finish is easy to clean. No coating to come off in your food. Easy to clean!
- Layers 6 and 8: Silver bonding agent/heat transfer.
- Layer 7: Pure Aluminum – Spreads heat quickly across the bottom of the pan
- Layer 9: Surgical Stainless Steel – Long lasting beauty, easy cleaning, and induction compatible.
- “Healthy cooking is more than food selection. It is also how you prepare foods” American Heart Association
No Need to Peel
With waterless, greaseless cooking, delicious vegetables can be prepared without sacrificing the wonders of nature. The first major breakthrough of this unique cooking method eliminates the need to strip away the flavor- and nutrient-rich skin. Peeling strips away natural vitamins and minerals located directly under the skin. For most vegetables, a gentle scrub is all that is needed before cooking. One more step to ensure that all of nature's goodness arrives "garden fresh" at your table.
Lower Heat
The second major breakthrough of the waterless, greaseless, induction cooking method eliminates the devastating damages caused by high-heat oil sautéing and boiling of vegetables. High heat destroys most of the health-giving, water- and fat-soluble minerals, along with the very delicate flavors and colors. The vegetable's most valuable nutritional advantages are often thrown out with the cooking oil or water.
With waterless, greaseless "flavor-sealing" covered utensils and full-body induction construction, vegetables can be cooked with low heat, eliminating the need for boiling in water and sautéing in oil. With low heat, the vegetables are cooked "waterless" quickly and evenly in a vacuum below the boiling temperature, or "greaseless" without oil, and prepared in their own natural moisture. Using the vegetable's natural juices eliminates the need to add water or oil during cooking.
Less Oxidation
The third major breakthrough of waterless cooking is the elimination of harmful oxidation. Detrimental oxidation occurs when vegetables are boiled in uncovered utensils, pressure-cooked, or microwaved, allowing a good share of the health-giving properties to evaporate.
The waterless feature of our full-body induction cookware, with its unique vapor-sealing covers, locks vitamins, minerals and enzymes in the utensil. No steam is allowed to escape. Wonderful aromas remain inside the pan. Until the cover is removed, you will not know if its broccoli or cabbage being prepared. The vegetables cook on low heat, cooking evenly in their natural moisture.
Cooking Vegetables the Waterless, Greaseless Way
Scrub Root Vegetables
To clean root vegetables, scrub vigorously with a vegetable brush under cold running water and remove any surface blemishes with a paring knife. Do not peel.
Refresh Vegetables
All fresh vegetables, especially root vegetables, tend to lose some of their natural moisture after harvesting. To add back some of the lost moisture, place the vegetables in the pan, fill the pan with water, add 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar and soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Soaking also removes chemical sprays, preservatives, and any other substances the vegetable may have come in contact within transit and in storage. Pour the water off, rinse and cook according to the recipe.
Use the Right-Size Pan
When cooking vegetables, the waterless way, it is especially important to use a pan that the vegetables nearly fill. This is an essential step in forming the vapor seal, and even more important when cooking on an induction cook-top. The less vegetables in the pan, the more air, which can cause oxidation. In addition to oxidation, less-full pans will require a higher temperature setting to create a vapor seal, and more than likely, the vegetables will be scorched or burned.
Form the Vapor Seal
As the moist air inside the pan is heated, it expands and is forced out between the rim and the cover of the pan. Around the rim is a well, or reservoir, that collects the moisture. The covers are angled down to fit perfectly in line with the well. As the heated air continues to escape, the well is filled with moisture, forming the vapor seal. This usually takes 3 minutes or less on an induction cook-top and up to 5 minutes on a gas or electric range.
Find the Right Temperature Setting
Whether you have an electric range with glass top, European or conventional burners, a conventional or commercial gas range, or an induction cook-top waterless cookware takes all the guesswork out of cooking the waterless way.
Here are some simple tips:
- If the rim or well spits moisture, the temperature is too high.
- If the lid does not spin freely on a cushion of water after forming the seal, the temperature is too low.
- Once you discover the proper setting, cooking the waterless way will be simple and easy. If you have a commercial gas range and you cannot achieve sufficient low temperatures for cooking vegetables the waterless, greaseless way, use a carbon steel trivet or flame tamer placed over the burner. You can also call your dealer and ask that they replace your commercial gas burners with those specifically and safely designed for the home kitchen.
Reestablish the Vapor Seal
During the waterless cooking process, do not peek. Removing the cover will destroy the vapor seal, lengthen the cooking time, and may cause the vegetables to burn. If you or another member of the family does lift the lid, cover the pan, close the vent, and add 2 tablespoons water to the rim to reestablish the vapor seal. Add 3 to 5 minutes to the prescribed cooking time.
Cooking Fresh Vegetables
To cook, place the vegetables in a pan that they nearly fill. Rinse with cold water and pour the water off. The water that clings to the vegetables and its own natural moisture are sufficient for cooking the waterless way.
Cover the pan, close the vent, and cook over medium heat (Settings 3 or 4 - 210˚F to 240˚F). When steam escapes and the cover spins freely on a cushion of water, the vapor seal is formed, 3 to 5 minutes, or less when induction cooking. After forming the seal, reduce to low or medium-low heat (Settings 2 or 3 - 180˚F to 210˚F). Cook according to the time chart. Do not peek. Removing the cover will destroy the vapor seal, lengthen the cooking time, and may cause the vegetables to burn. If at first you are concerned about cooking with out water, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water to the pan after rinsing and cook as directed. As your confidence builds, you can lessen the amount of water used.
When finished cooking, test for doneness with a fork. If not done, cover the pan, close the vent, and add 2 tablespoons of water to the rim to reestablish the vapor seal. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Cooking Frozen Vegetables
Do not defrost. Place the frozen vegetables in the pan they most nearly fill. Rinse with cold water and pour the water off. The water that clings to the vegetable and its own natural moisture are sufficient for cooking the waterless way.
Cover the pan, close the vent, and cook over medium heat (Settings 3 or 4 - 210˚F to 240˚F). When steam escapes and the cover spins freely on a cushion of water, the vapor seal is formed, 3 to 5 minutes, or less when induction cooking. After forming the seal, reduce to low or medium-low heat (Settings 2 or 3 - 180˚F to 210˚F). Cook according to the time chart. Do not peek. Removing the cover will destroy the vapor seal, lengthen the cooking time, and may cause the vegetables to burn.
Cooking for One or Two
When cooking for one or two people, naturally the quantity of vegetables will be less. However, with waterless cooking more than one vegetable can be cooked in the same pan with no interchanging of flavors or colors. You can cook potatoes, sliced carrots, and broccoli all in the same pan the waterless way. For example, using a 1 or 1.25-quart covered saucepan, place the potatoes in the pan, halved or whole, with the skin side to the surface of the pan, add two sliced carrots and top with the broccoli florets. Rinse the vegetables and pour the water off. Cook as directed above.
VEGETABLE |
COOKING TIME IN MINUTES* |
|
Less for Induction - More for Electric and Gas |
||
Apples |
10 to 15 |
|
Artichoke (whole) |
30 to 45 |
|
Artichoke hearts |
10 to 15 |
|
Asparagus |
10 to 15 |
|
Beans, green (fresh, cut) |
15 to 20 |
|
Beans, green (fresh, French cut) |
10 to 15 |
|
Beans, green (frozen) |
10 to 12 |
|
Beans, lima (fresh) |
30 to 35 |
|
Beans, lima (frozen) |
10 to 12 |
|
Beets (whole) |
35 to 40 |
|
Broccoli |
15 to 20 |
|
Brussels sprouts |
15 to 20 |
|
Cabbage, shredded |
10 to 15 |
|
Carrots, sliced |
15 to 20 |
|
Cauliflower |
10 to 15 |
|
Corn (fresh) |
15 to 20 |
|
Corn (frozen) |
10 to 12 |
|
Eggplant |
5 to 8 |
|
Greens |
10 to 12 |
|
Leeks |
12 to 15 |
|
Mushrooms |
5 to 10 |
|
Okra |
15 to 20 |
|
Onions (whole) |
15 to 20 |
|
Parsnips (sliced) |
15 to 20 |
|
Peas (frozen) |
5 to 7 |
|
Potatoes (quartered) |
20 to 25 |
|
Potatoes (whole) |
30 to 35 |
|
Potatoes (sweet) |
30 to 35 |
|
Spinach (fresh) |
15 to 20 |
|
Spinach (frozen) |
8 to 10 |
|
Squash, summer (yellow) |
15 to 20 |
|
Squash, winter |
25 to 30 |
|
Squash, zucchini |
20 to 25 |
|
Tomatoes |
10 to 15 |
|
Turnips and rutabagas |
25 to 30 |
*After forming the vapor seal, which take 3 to 5 minutes.
NOTE: To keep your vegetables hot and ready to serve, keep the cover on and the vent closed. The vegetables will stay hot in the pan for 20 to 25 minutes.